Jim, are you sure you're looking at the right pictures? You're normally a very knowledgeable guy.
I figure you would know K-Line never did a caboose like the Menards one. You certainly must be aware the K-Line caboose - the standard one that came in all the starter sets - was from Kusan, later used by Williams. The end handrails are half-height and are part of the frame. The caboose shell snaps on to the frame via two very visible slits on each end of the caboose. The only other non-scale cabooses done by K-Line were the Work Car and the small Bay Window, both having their origins with MARX.
The Menards one is pretty much a clone of a more recent Lionel SP style caboose. At one time someone here compared the two with only very subtle differences.
While I don't have one, it appears the roof of the Menards caboose is a separate piece from the body including the frame, which is like the newer Lionel SP cabooses. During the MPC years, the frame was a separate piece and the body was all one piece. The end handrails are the entire height of the body and are a separate piece which snaps into the bottom of the caboose body.
